The evening of Wednesday, Aug. 27, some residents of Tallahassee's Westminster Oaks retirement community protested the removal of three colorful crosswalks from nearby Dempsey Mayo Road as ordered by the state. The following evening Leon County's top officials met with the residents to offer a compromise.
Among the county officials was County Commission Chair - and the area's district commissioner - Bryan Welch. He told the residents the state was giving local governments no choice in the matter.
"We share your frustration. We share the sadness with the community losing a little bit of beauty."
For Westminster Oaks resident Jodi Gooding, the reason for the brightly decorated crosswalks was more about pedestrian safety than beauty.
"I do fine getting across the street. But we have a lot of people who have a lot of problems who don't, who cannot do it quickly, some are visually impaired."
All while traffic on Dempsey Mayo Road continues to increase in both volume and speed. County officials promised the residents a new, visible crosswalk design that's in compliance with the new and more strict state standards.
